Olympic National Park Tour

Road tripping around the Puget Sound is our new hobby. Its a wonderful thing to throw a tent in your car, grab an amazing latte from a drive through espresso hut, and hit the road. With little planning, we rambled through the ocean, rain forest, and mountains in a matter of days.

The Washington coast feels like the edge of the world. Apocalyptic beaches stretch for miles and sea stacks dot the shore. You might notice that there are virtually no towns on prime beach front property. 100 inches of rain per year and tsunami warning signs every several miles may have something to do with this. Although it is not the ideal place to live, I highly recommend a visit to see the tide pools and hike along the rugged coastline.

Camping in the Olympic National Park is first come, first serve. Everything is on the honor system and you place your money in an envelop to claim a site. We camped next to giant 10 ft diameter trees and overlooking a crystal clear blue lake.

The Hoh Rain Forest is a temperate rain forest that receives 12 feet of rain a year. Hiking around the mossy covered spruce, giant maples, and firs feels like stepping into an ancient place. Elk wonder through the woods, woodpeckers echo above, and banana slugs elegantly move along the floor. Trees frequently fall over and become nurse logs for several other hopeful seedlings. Wyatt calls it tree cannibalism.

Somehow glaciers are the answer to all things formed in nature. I will let you know once I see a real glacier in Alaska this fall, as of now I am a skeptic. Lake Crescent was carved out by glaciers and now sits 600 feet deep in places. We kayaked on its glass-like surface where you could see 60 feet deep. We waded in the water at dusk and watched the fog roll in over the surrounding mountains...serenity now.

On our way home, we drove up 5000 miles to Hurricane Ridge. The views of the Olympic mountains and Mt. Olympus are stunning. We did a few hikes among snow (in July!) and caught glimples of the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island, Canada.

On the road back to Seattle, we stopped off in Sequim, the lavender capitol of the world and had crab on the water in Dungeness Bay, WA. An end to the perfect weekend always ends with a ferry ride home.

Thought for the day: You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12